TORONTO - He didnt talk about the Vatican of hockey. He didnt mention the centre of the hockey universe. He shied away from dream job talk. He didnt wax on about pugnacity, testosterone, truculence, or belligerence. He didnt lay out his vision for how his Toronto Maple Leafs would play or what ailed them this past season and in seasons before. "Im not here today for big speeches, big words, big proclamations," Brendan Shanahan said Monday morning from the Air Canada Centre. "Today is my first day at work and theres a lot of work to be done." It was more than five and a half years ago that the Maple Leafs hired Brian Burke to change the "culture" of an organization which had veered further and further off the rails toward an eventual Stanley Cup. But unlike the bombastic Burke on that excitable day in Nov. 2008, the new President and alternate governor in Toronto made few bold statements or declarations. "This is the time for me to start learning about the organization from top to bottom," he said. "Its a time for me to listen, to learn and get to work and thats all thats really worked for me in my career. Its whats worked for me when I was done playing hockey and thats what I intend to do here." Tim Leiweke, the President and CEO of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, says he hired the 45-year-old to become the leader of the hockey team in Toronto - a presence he was unfit to fill - to instill an identity, to become the culture, heart, soul and character of the organization. He spoke glowingly of Shanahans track record - both as a player and in the league office - his leadership skills as a player for 21 seasons, his first-hand familiarity with winning cultures in Detroit and New Jersey, his passion, his work ethic, his analytical skills and his knowledge of the game. And with that full faith came final authority on all hockey and business matters. "I couldnt find anyone to say anything bad about him," Leiweke said of fact-finding conversations which came to include Ken Holland, Lou Lamiorello and Luc Robitaille. "…what everyone talks about is the man fights," Leiweke said, selling his new management piece with vigour. "He fought as a player. He fought for the union (during the second NHL lockout). He fought for the game. And now he fights for the integrity of the league. Now he comes here to fight for the Leafs. And the one thing I know about Shanny is hes going to fight for us every day. He may be analytical, he may be patient, he may not knee-jerk, but in that heart beats a man that is extremely committed to winning and doing whatever is necessary." Whatever credentials Shanahan may boast as a former player (three Stanley Cups) and league disciplinarian, he lacks the same in actual front office experience - an obvious source of skepticism for the hiring. A growing trend in the NHL has seen teams sweep up former star players for management roles to only middling success. Maybe the most recent example of disappointment saw local legend Pat Lafontaine plucked for a senior position in Buffalo only to depart less than four months later. Brett Hull, also of limited experience, was brought back to Dallas and eventually named co-general manager. He lasted less than two seasons and now works in St. Louis. Those that found success in the transition typically gained experience before eventually ascending to the type of role Shanahan has inherited in Toronto. Steve Yzerman toiled in the Red Wings front office, also managing Team Canada at the Worlds and Olympics before becoming the Lightning GM. Cam Neely was a vice-president for a few years before he was promoted to team president. Joe Sakic, now the overseer of all hockey matters in Colorado, joined the club initially as an advisor and alternate governor. Because of that inexperience its difficult to project which direction Shanahan will take the Leafs. Will he try to follow Hollands philosophy in Detroit - skill over brawn - or lean in the direction of what Lamiorello built in New Jersey - a stifling defensive system - or try something different entirely? Above all, he said hed be open to new ideas, even spending his flight to Toronto reading all about the merits of Corsi and Fenwick (analytical tools for measuring the game). Learning the business side of the game under the tutelage of Gary Bettman in his past business role with the NHL, Shanahan also was keen as a player, claiming to have picked the brains of superiors like Holland, Lamoriello, Glen Sather and Jim Rutherford. "I was always curious from their perspective, the difficulties and the challenges of operating and running a team," he said. "He was like a sponge and he took it all in," Leiweke claimed. Shanahans more recent gig as the leagues head of discipline offered opportunity, additionally, at the centre of controversy - something hell become familiar with in a hurry with the Leafs. "I had a job in which everyone questioned my decisions, everybody thought they knew better than us, they second-guessed everything we did and didnt like us," Shanahan said. "So now I get to come do this." Leiweke was blunt that the Leafs pre-Shanahan were lacking in direction, lacking in identity and lacking the culture of a winner - damning with Dave Nonis seated just a short distance to his left. He wanted someone to change that, much in the way, he said, that Masai Ujiri has quickly altered the course of the Raptors - though he failed to mention good fortune in that case, notably with the unexpected post Rudy Gay-trade ascension and emphatic growth of Kyle Lowry. Burke, too, talked about culture when he first landed from Anaheim, harshly critical of a "blue and white disease" that he felt had infected the club. He tried to change that and ran out of time. He also could not deliver the nasty, black and blue squad he imagined on the day of his arrival all too long ago. Shanahan wouldnt stray down a similar path as far as bold proclamations and statements were concerned on this day. If anything, it seems he aimed to undersell and over-deliver. He wouldnt get into what his vision for the club would be, wouldnt say what went wrong this year - he didnt feel it was his place - detailing instead his immediate plans, which included a full review of the coaching staff, roster, management team, and farm system, all to be done with his standing general manager, Nonis. "It would be premature for me to tell you right now where were going to go," Shanahan said. "Were going to work together to try to find the right answers together," Nonis added. "If we have questions or concerns were going to work them out, but at the end of the day Brendans the boss. He runs this team." How the dynamic between Shanahan and Nonis plays out remains of some intrigue and uncertainty. Its uncertain how much of a say Shanahan will have in the day-to-day operations of the team and more broadly speaking, how strong an influence hell exert over the bigger picture and to what effect. What direction he wants to take the Leafs wasnt immediately clear nor was how that approach will jive with that of Nonis, who helped build the current group, formerly as the No. 2 under Burke and eventual No. 1 until Mondays present. In terms of shifting the identity and culture of the Leafs, Shanahan will have to start with Randy Carlyle, quickly determining whether he is, in fact, the right head coach to guide the push forward. Though Carlyle found some success with the group in the lockout-shortened 2013, his message never seemed to hit home this season, culminating in all too familiar collapse. Both Shanahan and Nonis said all the right things as to Carlyles prowess as a coach, but neither would rightly commit to his future. Beyond the urgent matter of coaching - and who might be a suitable replacement - is a roster full of questions - be it with the core group and bundle of free agents - and a draft and development system that needs refreshment and considerable improvement. A lot, quite simply, lies on the plate of the new boss with little time to learn on the job. "Winning is just a very simple solution," he said. "Were not going to win a game sitting up here today. We have to get results." Wholesale NFL Jerseys.C. -- Pinehursts No. Cheap Jerseys.Y., Kevin Shattenkirk watched Rangers defenceman Brian Leetch score many big goals. http://www.cheapjerseysstitched.us.com/. The second game of the Tigers scheduled four-game series at the Chicago White Sox was postponed Tuesday night. Cheap NHL Jerseys. -- James Harden scored 31 points, including 25 in the second half, and the Houston Rockets dug out of a double-digit, first-half hole to beat the Orlando Magic 101-89 on Wednesday night.HAMILTON, Ont. -- The Hamilton Bulldogs had enough fight left in them on Friday to take their second game in as many nights against the Toronto Marlies. Hamilton fought back twice from a goal down, before riding a strong third period to 4-2 victory over Toronto in American Hockey League action. "It shows character to fight back the way that we did," said Hamilton winger Sven Andrighetto. "You always want to play with the lead instead of chasing. But we showed what we can do tonight." Mike Blunden scored twice for the Bulldogs (14-14-4) while Andrighetto and Martin St. Pierre added the others. Dustin Tokarski made 20 saves in the win. Carter Ashton and Sam Carrick scored for the Marlies (16-10-3), while Drew MacIntyre stopped 45 shots. Bulldogs head coach Sylvain Lefebvre had praise for MacIntyre, who faced 89 Hamilton shots over the course of the teams home-and-home series on Thursday and Friday. "The last two games have been full of scoring chances," said Lefebvre. "It was an enigma, trying to solve MacIntrye. But we kept shooting pucks at the net and kept driving it." The first quality scoring chance of the night fell to the Bulldogs three minutes into the opening period, when Gabriel Dumont held the puck in the left circle and tested MacIntyre with a low wrist shot before chasing his own rebound. It would be the Marlies who struck first, however, after Bulldog captain St. Pierre was whistled for charging at 4:59. Torontos Spencer Abbott shifted the puck to Greg McKegg, who found Ashton in the low slot with a centring pass. Ashton drifted out to the top of the slot, turned and fired a rising wrist shot that beat Tokarski just inside the near post at 6:27. Hamilton used successful cycling to produce a tying goal early in the second period. Dumont fought off a defender behind the net and circled out front, shovelling a backhanded shot along the ice that MacIntyre kicked to his left. But Blunden spotted the rebound as it slid through the crease, and quickly reacted to slot it in at 3:45. Special teams were a difference-maker for Toronto once again as the Marlies counter-attacked on the pennalty kill to retake the lead at 9:20.dddddddddddd Carrick latched onto a loose puck in the neutral zone and carried it into the Hamilton zone, where Blunden was the last line of defence. The Bulldog made an ill-advised attempt to hit Carrick, and the Marlie dodged him and skated in on Tokarski, flipping a high shot over the sliding goaltender. Having been burned on the defensive end, Blunden redeemed himself in the offensive zone to level the game once more. Maxime Macenauer carried the puck into the zone along the left wing, and spun to create space before sliding a backhanded shot toward MacIntyre. The goaltender turned aside the initial chance, but Blunden pounced on the loose puck to fire home his second goal of the night at 14:06. Lefebvre was glad to see Blunden rewarded for his hard work. "Blunden has been a horse for us all year so far," said the coach. "To see him get two goals tonight is great, because hes been working really hard and the goals dont come as naturally for him as they do for natural snipers. "But hes been there and been killing penalties. Hes been the forward that Ive used the most and hes there every night banging and crashing the net." The Bulldogs enjoyed a strong second period, and outshot the Marlies 34-14 through 40 minutes of play. Hamiltons momentum carried into the third period, where the Bulldogs struck almost immediately to take their first lead of the game. A stretch pass by Nathan Beaulieu sprung Patrick Holland and Andrighetto on a 2-on-1 break, with the former carrying the puck into the offensive zone and faking a shot before sliding a pass across to Andrighetto. The rookie winger made no mistake, firing a high wrist shot over the shoulder of MacIntyre and just inside the crossbar at 1:38. St. Pierre struck with 45 seconds remaining to put the game out of reach. With the Bulldogs cycling the puck on the power play, Andrighetto threaded a short pass to St. Pierre along the right boards. He faked and then fired a low slapshot that beat MacIntyre through traffic. Hamilton defeated Toronto 2-1 in a shootout on Sunday and lead the season series 5-2-1. cheap nfl jerseys? cheap jerseys?cheap jerseys?cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '